In recent years, people can access servers through the Internet and obtain various information from displayed web pages. The web pages are represented by structured documents described by a structured language (markup language) such as an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) or an XHTML (Extensible Hyper Text Markup Language). Then, the structured documents are analyzed by software referred to as a browser and the browser performs display in accordance with analysis results whereby the web pages can be displayed.
Furthermore, when such a web page is to be printed, a certain region of a web page selected by a user may be printed. For example, Japanese Patent No. 03588337 discloses a technique of copying an element included in a structured document such as text or an image corresponding to a portion of a web page selected in response to a selection of a certain rectangle portion included in the web page performed by a user using a pointing device such as a mouse so that a new structured document is generated. Furthermore, Japanese Patent No. 03588337 discloses a method for displaying only text or an image selected by the user in accordance with the newly-generated structured document.